1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing system for implementing specific functions through the coordinated operations of a main terminal device and a sub terminal device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today terminal devices having such functions as a telephone, facsimile, printer and scanner are in use. When serving as a main terminal, many of these terminal devices are configured to execute a process for implementing the above functions in response to commands from a sub terminal device that is connected to and capable of performing data communications with the main terminal device.
One such types of main terminal devices (facsimile machine A) is disclosed in Japanese patent application publication No. 2001-282694. The device includes a storage unit (RAM 12) and is connected to a sub terminal device (personal computer PC), which can recognize the storage unit as an external storage device connected to the sub terminal device itself. When data received from the sub terminal device is stored in the storage unit, the main terminal device prompts the user to select a function for processing the data and subsequently processes the data according to the selected function.
With the main terminal device described above, data can easily be exchanged with the sub terminal device via the storage unit. By the main terminal device executing processes in conjunction with the sub terminal device while exchanging data therebetween to achieve specific functions, the processing load on the main terminal device end can be reduced.
Accordingly, in recent years there has been demand for a technology capable of coordinating operations with a sub terminal device to execute specific functions of the main terminal device.